GITAM Deemed to be University organised the Indian Psychiatric Society AP State Branch 41st Annual Conference at the GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (GIMSR) here on Saturday.
Medical experts said that COVID-19 virus is not only affecting physical health of people, but it is also impacting the mental health, which needs to be addressed immediately.
Addressing the gathering, Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) national president N.N. Raju said that there were numerous mental health threats associated with the current pandemic.
He said that the number of psychiatrists in India is only 8,000 and majority of them are based in the southern States. Inclusion of psychiatry as a separate subject in the MBBS curriculum at UG level could fill up the huge vacuum, he added.
IPS AP Chapter newly-elected president Y. Sanjay said that loss of social networks, jobs, financial security and threatened loss of loved ones impacted the quality of relationships among parents, children and siblings during the present pandemic.
He said that economic insecurity, financial instability and isolation contributed to the increased rate of domestic violence and suicides.
IPS Andhra Pradesh Chapter former president B. Ramesh Babu and APMC observer Atchuta Rao attended.
